PharmaTelevision - Stem Cell Sciences: Stem Cell Technologies: The End of the Beginning

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Video title: Stem Cell Sciences: Stem Cell Technologies: The End of the Beginning

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In this exclusive interview, Fintan Walton talks to Peter Mountford, formerly CEO of Stem Cell Sciences, about the current state of stem cell technologies and their potential healthcare and research applications. The company is now at the ‘end of the beginning stage’, and has the capability to mass produce stem cells, with which it hopes to provide a range of products and services. The impact of emerging stem cell technologies on ethical concerns is discussed, as well as the likely commercialisation process of the technology. Peter also outlines the challenge in gaining funding for stem cell research, particularly from venture capital firms.

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Aim and purpose of Stem Cell Sciences

Fintan Walton:

Hello and welcome to PharmaVentures Business Review here in Brisbane. On this show I have Peter Mountford, who is the CEO and Founder of Stem Cell Sciences, welcome to the show.

Peter Mountford:

Thank you.

Fintan Walton:

You are an early player in the Stem Cell Sciences remit because your company was formed back in 1994 and over the last 13-years a lot has happened in the whole arena of stem cells and today it's a hot area both in the scientific level but also in a regulatory level as well, so could you just tell us what is Stem Cell Sciences is about? What sort of company is it and what's your aim? What's your purpose?

Peter Mountford:

Yes, well Stem Cell Sciences was really established to build on the blue sky potential of stem cells which is to use them in drug discovery and also in therapeutics also on a wide range in research uses. Those applications really demand high efficiency growth of stem cells in the laboratory to be able to produce again stem cells on mass in a reproducible and robust manner until you can do that really you can't enter those blue sky opportunities and realize what is the excitement about stem cells. And so our model has been to access the top academic groups around the world who understand stem cell biology to teach us how to grow stem cells properly and now we've found ourselves currently after 13-years really at the end of the beginning stage which has been the research and development of systems to grow stem cells truly robustly and at large scale as is needed by industry and would be needed for cell therapies in the future.

Fintan Walton:

So in an effect like in lot of the sciences it's getting the enablement?

Full video transcripts are available with PharmaTelevision Premium Content. Click here to buy a subscription or sign up for a 14 day free trial.

Fintan Walton

Dr Walton is the Founder and CEO of PharmaTelevision. After completing his doctoral research on the genetics of cell proliferation at the University of Michigan (US) and Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland), Dr Walton gained broad commercial experience in biotechnology in management positions at Bass and Celltech plc (1982-1992).

Peter Mountford

CEO of Stem Cell Sciences

Dr Peter Mountford at the time of recording the interview is Chief Executive Officer of Stem Cell Sciences, having stepped down as CEO in November 2007. A co-founder of the company, Dr Mountford was appointed CEO in 1999 and was instrumental in its development and globalization. He has a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from the University of Melbourne, and completed a post-doctoral research fellowship, sponsored by the Royal Society of London at the University of Edinburgh. Dr Mountford is a Director of all the companies within the Stem Cell Sciences Group, as well as of the private company Secure Sciences.

PharmaVentures

PharmaVentures is a corporate finance and transactions advisory firm that has served hundreds of clients worldwide in relation to their strategic deal making in the pharmaceutical, life science and healthcare sectors. Our key offerings include: Transactions / deal negotiations; Product / technology valuations; Deal term advice; Due diligence & expert reports; Strategy formulation; Alliance management; and Expert opinion for litigation/arbitration cases. PharmaVentures provides the global expertise to ensure our clients generate the highest possible return on investment from all their deal making activities. We have experience of all therapeutic areas and can offer advice on both product and technology commercialization.

Stem Cell Sciences

Stem Cell Sciences (SCS) is an international research and development company specializing in the provision of stem cells and stem cell technologies for research and for the clinic. The company has been active since 1994, principally focused on technologies to grow, differentiate and purify embryonic and neural stem cells. The company has business and scientific operations in Edinburgh and Cambridge (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Kobe (Japan) and California (USA).